Writing with Purpose: Writing Activities to Entertain, Inform, and Persuade

Engaging writing activities for middle school that build confidence and student voice! This Writing with Purpose unit helps students explore writing to entertain, inform, and persuade through creative, low-pressure tasks that get reluctant writers excited about writing again. Students explore the three main purposes of writing — to entertain, to inform, and to persuade — through engaging activities that feel relevant and fun, while quietly strengthening organization, clarity, audience awareness, and word choice. Instead of starting with rules, paragraphs, or correctness, this unit invites students into writing through creative, low-pressure, real-world tasks that build confidence first — and skills naturally. Why Teachers Love It Builds writing confidence without overwhelming students Perfect for reluctant and struggling writers Emphasizes voice, choice, and purpose Reduces fear around “getting it right” Clear student-facing directions with scaffolded planning sheets Flexible pacing (